6/12/2006 @ 7:55AM

Ballmer's Microsoft Loses Admired Tech Evangelist

To err is human, to blog, divine? For the last three years, one man has shown how a blog, plain-spoken and irreverent in its tone, could be a tool to significantly help soften the monopolistic bullying image of a corporate giant like Microsoft. Now, however, it has come to an end.

Millions of tech geeks have religiously visited the blog of Robert Scoble, one of
Microsoft
‘s many so-called technical evangelists, and producer of mini-films for its Channel 9 video division. Scoble however, has never been a blatant propagandist. His blog, Scobleizer, has openly criticized his Redmond, Wash-based employer–”The behavior of my company in this instance is not right,” he wrote of the shutting down of a Chinese researcher’s MSN blog earlier this year–while heaping praise on arch rivals like
Google
and
Apple Computer
.

But far from being put off, readers and industry watchers came to appreciate both Scoble’s honesty and his inside look into the traditionally insular world of software development. That his blog would occasionally mention a chat with Chief Executive Steve Ballmer or
Jonathan
Schwartz
Jonathan Schwartz
, the boss of
Sun Microsystems
, only added to his guru-like status, leading up to unofficial titles like “Chief Humanizing Officer.”

On Saturday, and to the consternation or many a loyal reader, Scoble announced that he was leaving Microsoft, having submitted his resignation letter to executives that day. He would be taking up a post as vice president of media development at PodTech.net, a video blogging startup in the heart of Silicon Valley.

“We are sorry to see Robert leave Microsoft,” the software giant said in a statement sent to The Associated Press, adding that Scoble had made a “strong contribution” to the company during what had been an important time period.

Wrote the blogger in his most recent post: “I wouldn’t have left if I didn’t think Channel 9 and Microsoft weren’t in awesome hands.” Irreverent he may have been, but Mr. Scoble was still every bit a loyal Microsoft employee. (To see a Forbes.com video interview with Robert Scoble, click here.) More